exploring can wait...

Skoll Haskel · 03-04-2012, 08:46 AM

[html]

Thanks! +3

It was strange to see the prey animals transported in the cage, though he remembered the chickens in the Court that he’d been scolded for barking at. He supposed it kept them safe and from running out where they could get eaten. He stared at them for a moment until the merle female addressed him again, and he wagged his tail at the thought of cracking into a delicious egg like that. Perhaps the other Court members would allow him to eat one of the chicken eggs!

He laughed then clamped his pale jaws together when the young woman informed him that he had to be quiet. He remembered some failed hunts on his own, such as the time he’d shouted at a rabbit until his big brother had helped him. Nodding, he waited as she shifted into a four-legged form, a twinge of envy twisting his stomach as he remembered he wanted to do just the opposite. As he suppressed these feelings, he followed her further into the forest, where the trees opened up to a more sparse area. His green eyes set on the fallen log, and his nostrils flared as he caught the scent of a small animal.

Bambi whispered in his ear, and the boy nodded almost imperceptibly. His childish delight at this hunting mission had passed on into almost adult seriousness as he crept forward, paw over paw. His body was tense as he attempted to avoid things that would make noise—though other cues would be picked up by the mouse if he wasn’t fast: the vibrations of his footsteps, his scent, the sound of his breathing uncontrolled despite his efforts.

It was when he grew closer to the log that he realized his size wasn’t going really going to allow him inside. He was a puppy, yes, but he was large for his age, and at an age where he would be biggish anyway. He wasn’t that much smaller than Bambi by that point, with his father’s large dog blood flowing through his veins. He hunched a little bit to get in a better position, but the mouse felt him move and darted.

Skoll barked loudly and whirled around, plodding after the small creature. He rushed past Bambi, crashing through the snow-dusted grass. Luckily, he managed to corner the mouse against a broad tree whose large roots formed a V-shape as they spread away from the main trunk. One pale paw struck at the creature, which squeaked in pain and alarm, and he batted at it again before lunging forward and snapping his jaws around the little animal.

The crunch of bone under his teeth brought him back to the present, and his eyes grew wide as suns. The prince turned slowly in Bambi’s direction and continued to gaze at her as if to say, “I got it!”

Login




Remember me Lost Password?